Portable modular energy storage

ABSTRACT

In certain embodiments, a system includes a belt for mechanically linking multiple energy storage cells together, wherein the multiple energy storage cells are grouped into at least first and second energy storage packs, each energy storage pack including at least one energy storage cell, the at least one energy storage cell of the first energy storage pack having a different energy storage characteristic from the at least one energy storage cell of the second energy storage pack. The system further includes an operational zone for receiving an energy storage pack and establishing an electrical connection between the received energy storage pack and an electrical device, and an actuator operable to move the multiple energy storage cells together to thereby dispose the first energy storage pack in the operational zone to establish the electrical connection with the electrical device.

SUMMARY OF RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No.62/693,721 filed Jul. 3, 2018, and is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/419,634, filed on May 22, 2019, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/371,275filed Apr. 1, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/193,180, filed on Nov. 16, 2018, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/146,777,filed on Sep. 28, 2018; and claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §§ and 119and 120 and 37 CFR1.78(a) from these applications, the contents of allof which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to energy storage, for examplein the form of a portable battery pack usable for powering electricaldevices such as vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Current rechargeable battery systems involve a charge cycle anddischarge cycle. There is a need for thermal regulation or other currentflow control measures that prevent too much current from being drawnfrom the unit energy cells, causing overheating of the energy interfaceand the individual cells. In addition, with reference to FIG. 1, thereis a need for a cool-down period between charging the battery and itsuse (discharging the battery), as well as between use and when thebattery can be charged again. Fast charging or discharging in particularcan be especially prone to overheating the battery. Failure toaccommodate the cool-down period can result in permanent damage to thebattery cells or possible fire or explosion. The difficulty with thiscycle is that it may be interrupted by user demand, requiring use of thebattery when it is in the middle of charging, or when immediate chargingfor immediate use are desired. Any additional thermal discharge(heating) results in loss of energy and waste heat as opposed to charge.An illustrative case is electric vehicles, wherein a discharging period,as the foot pedal is pressed to apply power to the motor, is abruptlyinterrupted by a charging period when the driver releases the foot pedaland applies the brakes to initiate regenerative braking; only to thenrelease the brake and press the pedal again to apply power to the motorand initiate discharging again, and so on.

In addition, current battery systems suffer from a difference in thecharge levels of individual cells, or from any defect or problem with asingle cell. The defect can be from localized chemical or mechanicalfailure or overheating, charge level difference, or a manufacturingdefect. For example, when the charge of a single cell in an array ofcells is lower than the rest of the cells in the array, the array canonly charge to the level of the lowest cell in the array, in effectlimiting the useful potential of the entire array to that of a singlecell. FIG. 2 shows how the array or bank of batteries, three in thiscase, on discharge can only discharge the amount of charge in the lowestlevel cell in the array (cell 1). Cells 2 and 3, on discharge (rightside of drawing figure) have unusable charge remaining because they areunable to continue to discharge once cell 1 has been depleted.

There are methods for conditioning the whole array, but these methodsadd discharge and charge cycles that involve complete discharge of thecells, which over time puts wear on the entire array, shortening itsuseful life. For these reasons there is a need for selective removal orreplacement of a single cell or multiple cells.

There is also a problem with the versatility of existing batterysystems. The battery packs come in different shapes and sizes and havedifferent voltages, built to individual specifications that are notcompatible with each other, even though internally many are based on thesame unit cell battery. When these battery packs no longer hold usefulcharge, essentially reaching the end of their effective lives, they arediscarded. The packs containing these batteries are frequently onlysuffering from the condition of one or two cells which if replaced wouldreturn the pack to serviceability. Replacing the defective cells couldreturn the pack to useful service, in this way extending the useful lifesignificantly. In addition, the less effective cells of these packs canbe used in less demanding applications that do not require their fullcapacity. Both of these solutions would extend the life of the batterysystems and reduce the amount of waste significantly.

Current vehicle battery systems do not allow for the rapid change of thebattery packs. This requires vehicles to utilize plug-in chargers.Charge for these systems takes several hours for the cool, charge, cooland discharge cycle. Users driving on longer trips than the effectiverange of the vehicle's battery pack, or that require immediate use inthe middle of the charging cycle, place undue demand on the batterypacks. This can lead to damage to the battery packs from overheating andpotentially leading to fires.

OVERVIEW

As described herein, an array of batteries are linked togethermechanically in a flexible, serpentine belt arrangement that permitseasy handling and manipulation of the array, and selective change-outand replacement of individual cells. The entirety of these linkedbatteries, or subsets thereof, can be electrically connected together asbanks to provide selectable denominations of power.

Some advantages of the arrangements described herein include extendingrange of existing electric vehicles, such as trucks, forklifts,aircraft, water craft (including submarines), trains, hover crafts,motorbikes, and so on; providing retrofit to used vehicles providingrapid change of energy packs becomes an option, akin to pumping gas at agas station; the ability to selectively change out individual cells in apack for conditioning and fire safety; and providing rapid jettison ofthe energy units (cells) to prevent vehicle fire. Other advantagesinclude flexible applications: home reserve power (that fits in thewalls of a house for instance) and portable power units. Anywhere that ahose or conduit can be run can be adapted to similarly house a batterypack that is rapidly replaceable and serviceable down to the unit cell.Trucks, scooters, motorcycles, golf carts, all terrain and tacticalvehicles, bikes, hover boards, undersea systems, drones, underwaterpersonal propulsion systems, boats, data centers, governmentinstallations, uninterruptible power supplies, and military systems areexamples of potential beneficiaries of this solution.

The arrangements as described herein open up many other markets andoptions, because the battery packs are easy to handle. Batteries can becharged from solar power or other power source, or charged at night atdiscounted rates from the utility grid for use during the day. Thebatteries can be grouped in subsets for charging, in cases wherecharging capacity is limited to a certain number of batteries, with onesubset being charged at a time until all the batteries are charged. Oneapplication is to transport the battery pack to a first installation,such as the site of windmill or wind farm or other source of power,charge the battery pack there, in its entirety at once, or in subsets asmentioned above, then deliver it to a second installation, such as anindividual vehicle or to station for customer pickup or use. Individualscan charge the battery packs at their house and sell/swap the packs withothers. A whole industry of individual chargers in homes can eliminatethe need and cost for a distribution system. This could provide adistributed energy solution for rural areas or developing countries andfor use by the military and for disaster relief. It provides a renewableenergy distribution solution without the wired distribution systemrequirements. Local communities can harness sun, water, wind, and otherenergy sources to charge energy units and distribute them for use toindividuals and families to run home electrical systems, refrigeration,electrical vehicles, or medical equipment.

In certain embodiments, an additional cell or set of cells are added toa battery pack. The additional cell(s) can be charged, cooled, anddischarged on a different cycle than the main set of cells in theexisting battery. The principle is to use different charging cycles forsome cells of the battery so that all cells will not be charging anddischarging at the same time, thus reducing the thermal cycle in thebattery. Each embodiment can be expanded to a large number of cells thatcharge/cool/discharge on different cycles to allow for more efficientuse and to prevent thermal loss and damage.

In certain embodiments, a system includes a belt for mechanicallylinking multiple energy storage cells together, wherein the multipleenergy storage cells are grouped into at least first and second energystorage packs, each energy storage pack including at least one energystorage cell, then at least one energy storage cell of the first energystorage pack having a different energy storage characteristic from theat least one energy storage cell of the second energy storage pack. Thesystem further includes an operational zone for receiving an energystorage pack and establishing an electrical connection between thereceived energy storage pack and an electrical device, and an actuatoroperable to move the multiple energy storage cells together to therebydispose the first energy storage pack in the operational zone toestablish the electrical connection with the electrical device.

In certain embodiments, a method includes mechanically linking multipleenergy storage cells together, wherein the multiple energy storage cellsare grouped into at least first and second energy storage packs, eachenergy storage pack including at least one energy storage cell, the atleast one energy storage cell of the first energy storage pack having adifferent energy storage characteristic from the at least one energystorage cell of the second energy storage pack. The method furtherincludes providing an operational zone for receiving an energy storagepack and establishing an electrical connection between the receivedenergy storage pack and an electrical device, and using an actuator tomove the mechanically-linked multiple energy storage cells together tothereby dispose the first energy storage pack in the operational zone toestablish the electrical connection with the electrical device.

In certain embodiments, a battery system includes a battery having firstand second cells, and a controller for selecting, for each charge ordischarge cycle of the battery, only one of the first or second cellsfor charge or discharge at a time.

In certain embodiments, a method for operating a battery having firstand second cells includes operating the first and second cells ondifferent charge/discharge cycles that are staggered in time, each cycleincluding a cooling period following each charge phase and a coolingperiod following each discharge phase.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more examples ofembodiments and, together with the description of example embodiments,serve to explain the principles and implementations of the embodiments.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a battery charge/cool/discharge/cool cycle diagram; and

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the limitations on charge and discharge of aconventional array of batteries;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a standard conventional battery;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of a flexible severable battery belt16 for mechanically linking together one or more batteries 10 in alinear fashion in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 4A is a top plan view of coiled battery belt in accordance withcertain embodiments;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show different embodiments of links of a battery belt inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a side view of a battery conduit in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 7A is a view of details of two conduit links in accordance withcertain embodiments;

FIG. 7B is an electrical representation of the operation of links of aconduit in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 7C is a schematic drawing showing a provision to maintain goodelectrical contact with a battery in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 7D is a schematic diagram showing sequentially reversed batteryorientations in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of system for deploying series-connectedbatteries in an operational zone of conduit in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a system for deploying thebatteries by producing fractional outputs, or multiple operationalzones, from a battery bank in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram showing a severable region of a majorsurface of a conduit link in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a system for deploying batteries thatprovides rapid battery change-out capability in accordance with someembodiments;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of showing a variation of a system fordeploying batteries that provides rapid battery change-out capabilitywith fractional output and multiple operational and/or rest zones inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 11A is a top view of a “zipper” configuration of a conduit inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 12 is a generalized view showing a battery control system for usein a deployment system in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 12A is a variation showing a generalized view of a battery controlsystem for use in a deployment system in accordance with certainembodiments, in which four 5-battery groups are used;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a procedure for detection, shifting,and replacement of an underperforming battery in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an automatic battery exchanger 64 thatmay be disposed in an access zone in a battery deployment system inaccordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 15 is an electrical schematic of a parallel-connected battery bank,and a parallel/series combination of battery banks, in accordance withcertain embodiments;

FIG. 16 is an electrical schematic of a combination series/parallelarrangement in accordance with certain embodiments; and

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a battery management system for use ina battery deployment system in accordance with some embodiments;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the use of different banks ofbatteries with a motor and flywheel;

FIGS. 19A to 19C show a bin arrangement of a battery pack in accordancewith certain embodiments;

FIG. 20 shows a coiled arrangement of a battery pack in which the coilis disposed between a pair of plates in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 21 shows a dual coil arrangement with the coils disposed aroundrotatable shafts in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating a process generally for matchingbatteries to a task to be performed in accordance with certainembodiments

FIGS. 23A-C are schematic diagrams illustrating an approach forproviding cells with different charge/cool/discharge/cool cycles inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 24 shows a general illustration of the concept of cycling cells ofa battery through separate charge/cooling/discharge/cooling cycles inaccordance with certain embodiments

FIG. 25 depicts an explanation of charging level;

FIG. 26 shows Manhattan layout for connecting cells in accordance withcertain embodiments;

FIG. 27 shows a denser layout with separate Vdd and Ground for chargeand discharge to allow for separate channels for current to run as wellas the ability to run a pass through where the cell can both be chargedand discharged at the same time in accordance with certain embodiments;and

FIG. 28 shows a flow diagram of a method for charging and dischargingcells that allows for a cooling cycle after discharge and prior tocharging and after charging prior to discharging (use) in accordancewith certain embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The following description is illustrative only and is not intended to bein any way limiting. Other embodiments will readily suggest themselvesto those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of thisdisclosure. Reference will be made in detail to implementations of theexample embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Thesame reference indicators will be used to the extent possible throughoutthe drawings and the following description to refer to the same or likeitems.

In the description of example embodiments that follows, references to“one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, “certainembodiments,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodimentmay not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring tothe same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it issubmitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art toeffect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection withother embodiments whether or not explicitly described. The term“exemplary” when used herein means “serving as an example, instance orillustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is notnecessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otherembodiments.

In the interest of clarity, not all of the routine features of theimplementations described herein are shown and described. It will beappreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation,numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made in order toachieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance withapplication- and business-related constraints, and that these specificgoals will vary from one implementation to another and from onedeveloper to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such adevelopment effort might be complex and time-consuming, but wouldnevertheless be a routine undertaking of engineering for those ofordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

For purposes of this description, the terms battery “pack,” “array,” or“bank” will refer to a set of one or more individual batteries orcapacitors, or, more generally, energy storage cells or units, that maybe connected together for charging, discharging or both. Each individualbattery may also be referred to as a “cell.” Moreover, each battery orcell will be understood to describe a rechargeable or single-usechemical battery or other energy storage device. Examples ofrechargeable or single-use chemical batteries include, but are notlimited to, lithium-ion and nickel cadmium batteries of various sizesand form factors, and of various power capacities and ratings as definedin terms power, voltage and current. One example form factor is shown inFIG. 3, in which a substantially cylindrical conventional battery 10 hasa positive terminal 12 and a negative terminal 14. Specific examples ofbatteries include 18650 Panasonic batteries and the like, A-size,AA-size, AAA-size, C-size, D-size, batteries, and so on. More generally,however, the term battery or cell will be understood to refer to anyenergy or charge storage device and includes, inter alia, capacitors andsupercapacitors.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a flexible severable battery belt 16 formechanically linking together one or more batteries 10 in a linearfashion in accordance with some embodiments. The belt 16 comprises aplurality of belt links 18 that are coupled to one another by thebatteries 10 retained in them. Removal of a battery that is between twolinks, such as battery 10 a in the drawing, results in severing of thebelt 16 at that juncture into two detached battery belt segments, 16 aand 16 b. When in place, each battery 10 forms a mechanical connectionbetween two consecutive belt links 18. The connection thus formed isflexible, with the two consecutive belt links 18 being pivotable, to alimited extent, around the linking battery, resulting in an overallflexible, serpentine battery belt arrangement. Such flexibility permitscoiling the battery belt, as seen for example in FIG. 4A, or configuringit in an S-shape or any other shape that achieves compactness, ease ofhandling or packing, and conformance with different-shaped containersand conduits, improved heat exchange (for cooling), or myriad otheradvantages.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show different embodiments of the links of a belt such asbattery belt 16. In FIG. 5, link 18 is a ring type link, in which oneside comprises a single ring 18 a, and the other side comprises dual,axially aligned rings 18 b. The rings are sized to accommodate a battery10 that is removably slidable into place in the rings as shown by thedouble-headed arrows. A limited interference fit may be employed in someembodiments to ensure the batteries are maintained in place in the ring.A ring 18 a of one belt link fits, in axial alignment, between two rings18 b of a next consecutive belt link, to form a sequence of links thatare coupled together by batteries interposed between them. In FIG. 6,link 20 is a C-clamp type link, in which one side comprises a singleC-clamp 20 a, and the other side comprises dual, axially alignedC-clamps 20 b. The opening 22 of each C-clamp is smaller than thediameter of the batteries 20, and the C-clamps 20 a and 20 b are made ofa material that is flexible enough to permit removability of thebatteries 10 laterally, as shown by the double-headed arrows in FIG. 6,in addition to axially in the manner of the double-headed arrows of FIG.5. Again, a ring 20 a of one belt link fits, in axial alignment, betweentwo rings 20 b of a next consecutive belt link, to form a sequence oflinks that are coupled together by batteries interposed between them. Ofcourse, it is also contemplated to provide a battery belt with linksthat are linked together regardless of the presence of the batteriestherein, in which case even when a battery is removed, the battery beltwould not be severed.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a battery conduit 24 in accordance with someembodiments. Battery conduit 24 extends linearly in the direction L, andaccommodates therein battery belt 16, constraining the motion of thebattery belt also to the linear direction, as shown by the double-headedarrow D. In this manner, battery belt 16 can be inserted and removedfrom the battery conduit 24 to any extent desired, and the batteriestherein shifted or stepped sequentially in either direction as detailedbelow.

Battery conduit 24 comprises individual battery conduit links 26, witheach conduit link dimensioned to substantially correspond to one battery10 on a 1-to-1 ratio basis for support of the battery therein. Otherratios are also contemplated—for example two or more batteries per link.Two conduit links 26, one of which contains a battery 10, are shown inmore detail in FIG. 7A. Generally, each conduit link 26 includesopposing first and second major sides 28 and 30, and opposing first andsecond minor sides 32 and 34 that are generally all arranged to define abattery-conduit chamber therein. Considering the axial direction A-A ofthe battery, the first and second major sides 28 and 30 are generally ina parallel plane to the axial direction A-A, and the first and secondminor sides 32 and 34 are generally in a transverse plane to the axialdirection A-A. While the battery-conduit chamber is shown to be cuboidin shape, other shapes, such as cylinders, prisms, etc. are alsocontemplated, and the sides defining such a chamber would accordingly beconfigured differently from that described herein. Components (notshown) such as friction sliders, for example rails, to reduce frictionand facilitate movement of batteries through the chambers; or forretaining batteries in place in the chambers, such as detents, springs,clamps, etc., can also be provided. In addition, expedients for coolingbatteries in the conduit 24 can be provided, for example a cooling fluidcircuit, cooling fins and heat sinks, and so on. In addition, atemperature management system including conduit-embedded sensors can beprovided.

The sequence of conduit links 26 are constituted so as to establish anelectrical connection among a select group or groups of the batteries10, which may be referred to herein as the operational group, when thebattery belt 16 is inserted into the battery conduit 24. The connectionprovides a collective “output” through which the batteries of theoperational group can be electrically accessed for charging ordischarging, or for testing. The connection may be series or parallel,although for brevity and clarity the focus of the description will beprimarily the series connection. The term “discharge” is used toindicate use of the battery to provide power, for example to a motor ofan electric vehicle, or to any device or component that requireselectric power for operation.

To establish a serial connection of an operational group, minor sides 32and 34 of each conduit link 26, or interior portions of the minor sides,are designed to electrically contact the positive and negative terminalsof the battery in the conduit link. The minor sides 32 and 34, or therelevant portions thereof, are thus made of an electrically conductingmaterial operable to contact the battery terminals. Major side 30, or aportion thereof, is also made of an electrically conducting material,and serves to provide an electrical connection between a conductingportion of a minor side 32 of one conduit link 26, and a conductingportion of a minor side 34 of a next conduit link in a sequence. Forthis reason, major side 30 may be referred to herein as the electrode,to be distinguished from the non-conducting major side 28, which mainlyprovides mechanical support. An electrical representation of thisconfiguration, in which an electrically conducting path is establishedbetween a sequence of batteries by the conduit links is shown in FIG.7B. Two consecutive batteries A and B are represented, connected inseries by an electrode corresponding to a major side 30. The nodes n₁and n₂ correspond to the minor sides 32 and 34, respectively.

In addition to their electrical and mechanical function, in certainembodiments, some or all of the sides 28, 30, 32 and 34, are flexibleenough to impart an overall flexible character to the conduit 24, sothat it can assume compact coiled and other shapes as seen below. Inother embodiments, the overall structure of the conduit 24 is rigid, andconduit links 26 and their connections to one another are inflexible.Provisions can be provided to maintain good electrical contact with thebattery, as shown in FIG. 7C, wherein a conducting leaf-spring type ofcontact 35 exerts a bias toward the battery to ensure both the positiveand negative terminals of the battery are in contact with the minorsides, or at least conducting portions such as 37 thereof. Of courseforming a series connection of the batteries 10 of battery belt 16 foroperation in a conduit can be accomplished in any number of ways. Forinstance, the battery orientations can be alternately reversed, as shownin FIG. 7D, with the conductivity and flexibility of the conduit links26 a and their sides adjusted accordingly.

As described supra, an effect of conduit 24 is to establish a seriesconnection of the batteries 10 in belt 16 by connecting the positiveterminal of each battery to the negative terminal of the next battery inthe sequence; and by connecting the negative terminal of each battery tothe positive terminal of the preceding battery in the sequence. Aschematic illustration of this is provided in FIG. 8, which generallyshows a system for deploying the batteries 10 of belt 16, for examplefor charging or discharging them. A conduit 24 establishes a seriesconnection of ten 3.7 V batteries 10, designated A-J. The resulting10-cell series-connected battery bank 36 has an output voltage of 37volts at connections or taps P1 and N1, which may be collectivelyreferred to as the output. By way of example only, four such 37-voltbanks are shown in a series connection, resulting in a 148 V batterypack 38. The four banks thus connected can be constituted of four10-cell battery belts 16 that are disposed in a single 40-link conduit24, or four 10-cell battery belts 16 that are disposed in fourcorresponding 10-link conduits 24 connected in series.

FIG. 9 shows system for deploying the batteries by producing fractionaloutputs, or multiple operational zones, from a battery bank. Inparticular, a 10-cell bank of series-connected batteries A-J is disposedin a 10-link conduit 24, but with one of the links, 26, having anelectrical gap or discontinuity 40 at electrode 30 thereof. Withreference to FIG. 9A, the discontinuity can be selectively establishedby the user, for example when a pre-formed portion or region 40 a ofelectrode 30 is removed, or is otherwise rendered electricallynon-conductive. Each of the links in conduit 24 can have such apre-formed region for selective removal by the user. The dotted linesdefining the region 40 a in FIG. 9A can represent perforations thatfacilitate removal of conductive material to establish thediscontinuity. Returning to FIG. 9, electrical taps P2 and N2 areprovided, which, operating together with the discontinuity 40, yield twoseparate power supplies: 3-cell power supply 42 (batteries A-C), havingan output of 3.7 V×3=11.1 V at taps P1-N2; and 7-cell power supply 44(batteries D-J), having an output of 3.7 V×7=25.9 V at taps P2-N1.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a system for deploying batteries thatprovides rapid battery change-out capability in accordance with someembodiments. Battery conduit 24 is shown in a coiled configuration andhas a capacity of N batteries. One or both actuators 46 and 48, which inthis example are sprockets that can be rotated in either direction,operate as powered drivers to simultaneously feed in a replacementbattery belt, while extracting the old battery belt. The replacement andold belts are as previously described, and each has N batteries, suchthat for 3.7 V batteries, the voltage output at the P3-N3 nodes when abattery belt with N batteries is fully inserted is 3.7*N volts. Thebattery belts can be stored in bins 50 when outside the conduit 24. Theconduit 24 may be a separable component from the actuators 46 and 48,such that conduit may be disposed at one installation, for example acharging station or electric vehicle, to which the actuators are broughtby an operator for purposes of performing a battery belt change-out, andthen removed from the installation. In certain embodiments, one or bothactuators 46 and 48 are powered by motors (not shown). In certain otherembodiments, neither actuator is powered by a motor, and the actuatorsare mounted for free rotation. Battery belt motion through conduit 24 inthe latter configuration is powered by the operator, for example bypulling on the old belt, which causes drawing in of the new replacementbelt, either because it can be linked to the old belt by a linkingbattery or link as described above, or because of the action of one orboth actuators 46, 48, which engage the replacement belt and propel itsmotion into the conduit 24.

The rapid change-out configuration of FIG. 10 permits replacement ofbattery belts in the field, for example at an installation such as acharging station at which the conduit 24 is disposed, so that areplacement belt of depleted batteries can be inserted for chargingthrough the P3-N3 nodes, and a charged (“old”) belt with fresh batteriescan be extracted for use, for example at a second installation such asan electric vehicle (not shown) that may be similarly equipped with arapid change-out system, but with the output nodes thereof connected tothe drive system of the vehicle. The vehicle may have multiple suchrapid change-out systems, in a coil or other configuration, that can beconnected in any suitable power extraction manner (for example series,parallel, fractional, etc.). In certain embodiments, rapid change-outcan further be served by configuring the conduit to have a “zipper”form, whereby it is separable and reconnectable into two longitudinalhalves, 33 a and 33 b, as shown in FIG. 11A. Such a configurationenables quick release of the battery belt from the conduit. The conduitlinks can be provided with suitable fasteners (not shown) that engageand disengage with one another to permit the zipper-like performance.

FIG. 11 is a system for deploying batteries having a coiled fractionaloutput configuration in accordance with certain embodiments. Batterybelt 16 has an “endless” configuration, and includes B total batteriesmechanically linked together as described above. Belt 16 is housed inconduit 24 having N conduit links each defining a battery chamber, alsoas described above. The number of total batteries B exceeds the numberof conduit links N by an excess battery amount B_(E). That is,

B _(E) =B−N

The excess batteries B_(E) are accounted for in access region 52.Because the batteries in this region are outside of conduit 24, they aremore accessible and can be easily replaced, for example when they havefailed or they are underperforming. A battery exchange can beimplemented in this region by simply sliding an individual battery outof the belt axially as described in FIG. 5, or laterally as described inFIG. 6, and replacing it with a new battery in reverse manner. Batterymonitoring and replacement are discussed in more detail infra.

Conduit 24 as shown in FIG. 11 is electrically comprised of twosegments, 24 a and 24 b, which are isolated from one another by adiscontinuity, such as gap 40 in a conduit link 26 as described in FIG.9. This results in a first battery bank 54 of 30 cells A-DD (111 volts);and a second battery bank 56 of 34 cells EE-LLL (125.8 volts). The twobanks, each connectable for operation at nodes P4-N4 and P5-N5,respectively, can independently and/or simultaneously undergo chargingor discharging depending on the application. The total number ofbatteries that are connected for operation in this manner, referred toas Bo, is 30+34=64. The number M of conduit links (and correspondingchambers) of conduit 24 exceeds the number B_(O)=64 of operationalbatteries. This excess of conduit links can be expressed as

M _(E) =M−B _(O)

The excess conduit links M_(E) can be used to hold batteries onstand-by, in resting mode, for example for cooling a portion of thebatteries while those in banks 54 and/or 56 are being utilized forcharging and/or discharging (operational mode). The batteries can thusbe cycled into position in conduit 24 by motorized actuator 58, whichcan be coupled to one or more battery temperature or other parametersensors, a timer, or other device (not shown) for providing feedback andtriggering the rotation of the actuator. Logic and position encoders(not shown) can be provided to determine the number of positions thebatteries of battery belt 16 should be shifted in conduit 24 throughaction of motorized actuator 58. The conduit 24 may be a separablecomponent from the actuator 58, such that the conduit may be disposed atone installation, for example a charging station or electric vehicle, towhich the actuator 58 is brought by an operator for purposes ofperforming a battery belt change-out, and then removed from theinstallation. A change-out would entail removal of one of the batteries10 at the access zone 52, severing the battery belt 16 and enabling itsremoval and replacement in the manner described above in connection withFIG. 10.

A generalized view showing a battery control system for use in adeployment system is schematically provided in FIG. 12. A controller 60can include a processor 62 for receiving the feedback information andother input and implementing the logic, with the controller activatingthe actuator 58 accordingly. A memory 63 in the controller can storevarious operating information that can be used to track movement of thebelt 16 and to track positions or chambers therein, as detailed furtherbelow. Acceptance thresholds for various parameters, relating totemperature, voltage, current, power, and so on, can also be stored inmemory 63. Actuator 58 is rotatable bi-directionally, depending on thecycle and the application. The dashed lines delineate an active oroperational zone encompassing a set of batteries B_(O) that areconnected for operation, as part of one or more independent batterybanks, while the remaining batteries B_(R) outside the active zone areat rest, in a resting zone, for a cooling cycle for example. Operationcan entail a connection to a charging system for charging the batteries,for example one sub-group at a time, in the case of limited chargercapacity, until the entirety of the batteries are charged; or to adischarging system such as a drive system including an electric motor ofa vehicle, and so on. At an appropriate time, sensed temperature, orcharge/discharge level, power, current, voltage, or any other suitableshifting parameter, the controller activates actuator 58 to shift all orsome of the batteries in order to move resting batteries intooperational mode (into the active zone), and move operational batteriesto resting mode (out of the active zone). While the ratio of operationalbatteries to resting batteries is shown to be 1 (B_(O)/B_(R)=10/10=1) inthis example, other ratios greater than or less than one arecontemplated. As mentioned above, sensors embedded in the conduit 24 canbe provided as part of a temperature management system providingfeedback information to controller 60.

In the variation of FIG. 12A, four 5-battery groupings are achieved: tworesting groups B_(R1) and B_(R2); one charging operational group B_(O1);and one discharging operational group B_(O2). Actuator 58 can beactivated by controller 60 to shift the batteries S places every nminutes, or whenever the temperature of any one or more batteries in anyof the groups reaches a prescribed threshold, or whenever a dischargingbattery level (voltage, current) or a charging battery level reaches aprescribed threshold, or based on any combination of these and otherfactors. In addition, depending on where the system is installed, thecontroller 60 can receive input from a battery charger, or from acontroller of a vehicle in which the system is disposed, and perform thebattery shifting in response to this input. The number of shifts S canbe any integer greater than zero. In the example of FIG. 12A, a 5-placeshift would invert the battery configuration, placing all theoperational batteries in rest positions, and all the resting batteriesin operational positions. This may be referred to as a 180-degree phaseshift. Different degree phase shifts are also contemplated. A 90-degreephase shift would place half the operational batteries in restpositions, and half the resting batteries in operational positions, andso on.

In the arrangements as described herein, the mobility of the batteries10 relative to the tap points from which they are deployed for chargingor discharging confers important advantages in leveling out the stressand wear on the cells in the battery pack, and increasing their usefullife. In particular, in conventional battery packs, the position of thecells is static, both physically and electrically. Since current flux(draw on discharge and the opposite on charge) and thermal flux (heatingon charge and discharge) that cells experience differ as a function oftheir position in the circuit, those that are in one position (forexample at the edge of the battery pack, at the tap point forcharge/discharge) will experience different thermal, chemical andmechanical stresses than those at another position (for example at thecenter of the pack) during operation. Similarly, the physical positionof cells relative to the cooling system employed (including ambientcooling) in the pack will also be different, such that even when a heatexchanger system is employed, its cooling will likely be uneven—forexample more cooling at its inlet than its outlet—and some cells willbenefit less from the cooling than others. This stasis of the physicaland electrical positions in conventional systems results in uneven wearof the individual cells and premature failure of the cells and batterypack. The dynamic arrangements described herein obviate these problems,providing wear-leveling by rotating the batteries so that the stresspositions (thermal, electrical, mechanical, chemical) in the pack arenot occupied by the same batteries all the time, but are shared by thebatteries as they are rotated into and out of these positions.

An additional advantage of certain embodiments is easy removal andreplacement of failed or underperforming batteries. Detecting suchbatteries can be done on an individual battery test basis, wherein thecontroller 60 (FIG. 12) can cycle the batteries of the belt 16 throughan access zone 52 equipped with temperature, voltage, current, and othersensors, and those batteries that fail certain criteria are replaced. Insome embodiments, for a series-connected bank of batteries, a failure ofone or more batteries in the bank will yield a zero voltage across theentire bank without identifying the specific failed battery. A simpleapproach to identify the failing battery in such a scenario is describedwith reference to FIG. 13. The failed battery 10 _(F) of battery belt 16is sequentially stepped through the conduit 24 by the controller 60(FIG. 12) and enters active operational Zone A (upper drawing in thefigure). Operational Zone A will exhibit an uncharacteristically low(zero) voltage as long as the failed battery 10 _(F) is within it. Thisuncharacteristically low voltage, or any other parameter relating toZone A that indicates a malfunctioning battery within it, can be sensedby appropriate algorithms in controller 60, or by sensors providingtheir output to controller 60. After three shifts (lower drawing in thefigure), or steps, of battery belt 16 to the right, the failed batterywill depart Zone A, and the voltage (or other suitable parameter) ofZone A will be restored to 37V. At this third shift, because of therestoration of the voltage to 37V, the identity of the offending batterybecomes known to the controller, which then registers this battery asone requiring replacement. Registering the battery as such can simplymean tracking in memory 63 the battery chamber or location as one thatcontains a defective battery, or tracking the belt position, and so on.The controller 16 can then advance the battery belt 16 until theregistered defective battery (10 _(F)) reaches the Access Zone forreplacement, either manually or by an exchanger as further detailedbelow. The controller 60 knows the distance X, in number of steps, fromthe end of Zone A to the Access Zone, which in this example is fifteensteps or positions. Such distance X is pre-stored in memory 63. Thecontroller 60 advances the battery belt fifteen steps to deliver thebattery 10 _(F) to the Access Zone.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an automatic battery exchanger 64 thatmay be disposed in an access zone in a battery deployment system inaccordance with some embodiments. The exchanger includes a fresh batteryreservoir 66 and a depleted battery reservoir 68. As the battery belt 16is stepped through the exchanger under control of controller 60, abattery 10 _(F) that has been earmarked for replacement reachesalignment with a fresh replacement battery 10 _(R). A push rod 70 isthen actuated, forcing the replacement battery 10 _(R) to occupy theposition of battery 10 _(F) in the belt 16, and forcing the battery 10_(F) out of the belt altogether and into the depleted battery reservoir68. In some embodiments, the push rod 70 only acts on a battery in thebelt, without pushing a replacement battery into its place. In thismanner a battery is removed from the belt 16, and the belt isautomatically severed in the manner described above. In some embodimentsa sensor 69 is included, for example with the exchanger 64, fordetecting parameters such as temperature, voltage, or current ofbatteries as they pass on belt 16. The sensor output is provided asfeedback to the controller 60 as described above.

In certain embodiments, one or both reservoirs 66 and 68 are rotatable,in either direction (shown by the circular arrows), for example undercontrol of a controller such as controller 60. The rotation of reservoir66 enables the selective placement of batteries 10 in position forinsertion into the belt 16. For example, after a first replacementbattery is inserted into a position in the belt by action of the rod 70,the reservoir 66 is rotated to place a second replacement battery inposition for insertion into the belt. The belt 16 of course is shiftedany number of steps (one or more) to the new location that needs toreceive the second replacement battery. Push rod 70 is then actuatedagain, and the second replacement battery is pushed into position in thebelt, replacing the battery already at that location in the belt.Similarly, the rotation of reservoir 68 enables the selective placementof empty slots in the reservoir for receiving the batteries beingreplaced.

In certain embodiments, instead of recharging, batteries can be swappedout, singularly or as entire packs or entire belts, based on their stateof charge or other factors, and replaced with fresh batteries. Those arethat are swapped out can still carry sufficient charge for other tasks,reducing the number of charge cycles they are subjected to. Sincebattery cells only have a certain number of charging cycles in theirlifetime, it may be advantageous to thus avoid recharging themunnecessarily. For example, in some situations an owner of an electricvehicle can charge his/her batteries at home, at work, everydayunnecessarily. If they have a 300-mile range and drive 50 miles to andfrom work they may nevertheless recharge the batteries even though theywill likely drive only 50 miles tomorrow. They are unnecessarilyexpending charge cycles. If the owner has the option to swap batteriesthe range anxiety is addressed and the owner makes better decisions onwhen it makes sense to charge.

Moreover, in certain embodiments, a central leasing service that swapsthe batteries in place at night, or a conditioning center run by acentral service, these batteries that are slightly discharged can beplaced in another vehicle that does not need to have a guaranteedmaximum range and the service can save a charging cycle or severalcharging cycles on their batteries. Conditioning centers are discussedin more detail below.

In certain embodiments of a battery deployment system, parallel batteryconnections, or combinations of parallel and series battery connections,are contemplated. In a series connection, the total voltage of a batterybank is a multiple of the individual voltages; in a parallelarrangement, the total voltage across a battery bank is the same,regardless of the number of batteries in the bank, but the current is amultiple of the individual battery currents. A parallel bank isillustrated in FIG. 15, wherein 10 batteries, each rated at 3.7 V and2200 mAhr (milliamp hours), are connected to yield a power supply of 3.7V and 22 Ahr. A combination parallel/series arrangement is shown in thelower portion of FIG. 15, wherein three parallel banks A-C are connectedin series with each other. While the banks have ten cells each, thenumber of cells in each bank can be different and can vary from bank tobank. A combination series/parallel arrangement is shown in FIG. 16. Aseries-connected bank 72 consists of 100 batteries, each rated at avoltage of 3.7 V and a current of 2200 mAh. The total rating of the bank64 is 370 volts at 2200 mAh. Connecting 70 of these banks 72 in seriesyields a power source 74 rated at 370 volts at 154 Ah.

A battery management system for use in a battery deployment system inaccordance with some embodiments is shown schematically in FIG. 17. Eachof six belts 16 of batteries 10 is shown in a corresponding conduit 24.Each of the six conduits establishes a series connection of the tenbatteries therein. The conduits are connected together in parallel toprovide a combination series-parallel connection output, for example fordriving an electric vehicle, or for connection to a charger for chargingthe batteries. In an alternative configuration, one or more of the sixconduits 24 is not connected to the others, so that a different,independent electrical circuit is established. Such an alternativearrangement permits a “hot swap” of some of the batteries, wherein somebatteries can be swapped out while others continue to be connected andoperational, for example to drive a motor or to be charged.

Controller 60 drives six corresponding actuators 58 independently ofeach other in order to cycle the batteries in the six belts throughresting zones for cooling, or through operational zones for charging anddischarging, as described above. Multiple operational zones may bepresent, each serving to establish an electrical connection to acharging, discharging or testing device or component. Some of thesedevices or components can be for example motors, chargers, compressors,heaters, blowers, other battery banks, inverters, timing devices,controllers, solenoids, radars, cameras, rotors, inductive loads,capacitive loads, fans, flywheels, thermo-electric coolers,thermocouples, sensors, HVAC, motor generators, actuators, solardevices, wind devices, lights, power electronics, appliances and so on.Controller 60 also drives six corresponding exchangers 64 independentlyof each other in order to selectively replace batteries in the belts 16as necessary, for instance based on sensed temperature, voltage,current, and other parameters. Feedback from sensors 69 (FIG. 14) can beprovided to the controller 60 to assist in its decision-making andcontrol of the actuators 58 and exchangers 64. An advantage of thecombination series-parallel connection of FIG. 17 is that it permitsrapid change out of the series-connected batteries in each of theindividual belts 16, while at the same time enabling a high currentparallel connection of the belts 16 to each other.

A measure of battery discharge (or charge) relative to maximum capacityis C-rate. At 1 C, a 100 Ahr battery discharges 100 amps of current for1 hour. At 0.5 C, the 100 Ahr battery discharges 50 amps of current for2 hours for a total of 100 Ahr. At 4 C, the 100 Ahr battery discharges400 amps of current for 15 minutes for a total of 100 Ahr, and so on.The higher the C rate, the more demand that is placed on the battery,the greater the wear, and the shorter the overall life of the battery.

Nominally, most batteries should be charged or discharged at no morethan 0.5 C to minimize wear and stress and increase longevity. Inaddition, batteries should be at about 80% of their original chargecondition, referred to as State of Health (SOH), in order to be used aspower batteries for performance applications requiring discharging ratesor charging rates of 1 C or greater. Batteries below about 60% State ofHealth should be used with a charge/discharge rate of <0.5 C. Inaddition, methods of stair stepping the charge/discharge intervals andusing a pulsing charger or switched discharger similar to that used inmotor controllers is envisioned. SOH generally is a measure of internalresistance, capacity, voltage, self-discharge, the battery's ability toaccept charge, and the total number of charge-discharge cycles that thebattery has completed at that point in time. Another term Depth ofDischarge, which is how much the cell or pack energy will be used forthe given application—nominally between 20% and 90% for lithium-ion, forexample. It should be noted that lithium-ion batteries suffer fromserious charging and discharging problems when they are below 25 degreesCelsius.

The arrangements disclosed herein can be used to maintain nominal Crates for batteries in a power pack. For example, battery belts can beloaded with batteries (or, more generally, energy storage devices) thathave different energy storage characteristics (such as C rates) and thatare selectively switched into an operational zone as a function of theanticipated current discharge (or charge) demand. The energy storagecharacteristics of a storage device may be or may not be fixed, andderive from many factors, including, but not limited to, its presentstate of charge, state of health, depth of discharge for a givenapplication, its capacity, size, density, chemistry (internalelectrolyte), format, form factor, mass, materials, voltage (opencircuit and working), energy density, power density, peak power(charging/discharging), state of function (internal transients on chargeand discharge), internal resistance, self-discharge, efficiency, currenttemperature, ambient (outside) temperature, thermal mass, humidity,atmospheric pressure, time of day/time of year (energy costs),characteristics of the load or charger to which it will be connected(impedance, inductance, capacitance, etc.), C rate capability or chargeand discharge rate, and so on. For example, different types ofbatteries, such as Lithium, Mercury, Lithium-Ion (Lithium cobalt oxide,lithium manganate, Lithium iron phosphate, lithium polymer, lithiumnickel manganese cobalt), and NiMH, Nickel Cadmium, Alkaline, Lead-Acid,etc. have different energy storage characteristics, and even batteriesof the same type can have different characteristics, depending forexample on their format, temperature, and so on.

In a vehicle context, high-demand situations, such as accelerating froma traffic light or a parking space, could be used to trigger a batteryshift, through motion of the battery belt in the conduit by operation ofthe actuators 58 and controller 60. The battery shift would place onetype of battery, for example high-rated batteries, in the operationalzone, coupled to the motor, to provide the required power. Thehigh-rated batteries could be used to provide sufficient accelerativepower even when discharged at 0.5 C, whereas lower-rated batteries wouldneed to be operated at deleterious rates greater than 0.5 C to providethe same power.

Conversely, and also illustratively in the vehicle context, a bank ofsupercapacitors or rapid-charge batteries can be shifted into anoperational zone for rapid charging, in order to spare more conventionalbatteries from the damaging high current of a speed charger. Similarly,in certain situations, such as regenerative braking, some batteries,such as ones that have been at rest, or such as supercapacitors, can beshifted into the operational zone to receive the current surge that mayotherwise damage lower-rated batteries or those that were more recentlybeing discharged and may be heated or otherwise unsuitable.

In another illustrative example, considering colder climates, lithium(as opposed to lithium-ion) batteries or other types of energy devicesthat perform well at lower temperatures, can be shifted into operationalzones to power the motor when it is cold out, until other lithium-ionbatteries in the battery belt warm up to their optimum use temperaturerange. More generally, entire battery layouts in the battery belt can bechosen for specific climate or performance requirements on a given dayor season, or for certain driving conditions or terrain. The swap-out ofthe entire battery pack or portions thereof can thus be performed on adaily or seasonal basis using the rapid battery change-out capabilitydiscussed supra.

Battery shifting in and out of operational zones can also be effectedbased on economic considerations that may be selectable by the user orthe system, for example in response to sensed driving and weatherconditions, terrain (mountains, flats, etc.). In a vehicle, allowancemay be made for using one area or bank of brand-new batteries forperformance and one area of used batteries for cruising. The battery mixcould also be changed based on the driver's common usage. In this way,the mix could provide the driver with the optimum cost/performance fortheir driving.

The cost, or economic, factor may be tied to the trade-in value of thebatteries, with batteries that are operated at more stressful conditions(higher C rate for example) losing their trade-in value more rapidlyover time. The operator can set maximum value conservation as a goal forthe controller 60 to pursue, and algorithms in pursuit of this goalwould guide the output of the controller in shifting batteries of thebattery belt into the different operating and resting zones of theconduit depending on factors such as outside temperature, charge anddischarge rates, battery type, battery age, and so on, as detailedabove.

In certain embodiments, battery owners can be incentivized and rewardedfinancially for actions and behaviors that reduce battery stress andincrease longevity. Battery charging stations, which can be used tocharge a customer's own batteries or swap them out with replacementbatteries, can also be operated as conditioning centers that base theircharge, or rebate for swapped out batteries, on: type of battery—Sony™,Samsung™, unknown brand, etc.; State of Health (performance) 90%, 80%,70%, etc.; current charge level (that the driver or customer hasdischarged/charged them to) 70%, 50%, etc. The price that theconditioning center charges is based on these and other factors, and anestimate can be provided to the user in in advance of pulling in to theconditioning center. The conditioning center could then test thebatteries after they are swapped out of the user's car and the bill canthen be automatically electronically debited from an account.

The factors upon which the cost is based can be determined on board thevehicle by a testing system to which the batteries coupled by shiftingthem in the battery belt to an appropriately connected operational zone.The testing system in the vehicle performs its testing under realconditions—under the applied use of the batteries. In certainembodiments, batteries can be charged/discharged individually based ontesting results, in order to achieve certain optimal battery bankcharacteristics and overall performance profiles. This can be done atthe conditioning center, or even on board a suitably-equipped vehicle.While conventionally most testing of batteries is done in a lab, in thearrangement described herein testing can be done while the batteries arein use in a specific vehicle with a specific mix of batteries with aspecific class of user in a specific area and climate. This data can bevery valuable to the conditioning center, as well as to battery andvehicle companies.

Drivers at a conditioning center can choose the battery mix they wantbased on what their current trip is going to be (long, mountainous,cold). In turn this could be determined for them based on their GoogleMaps destination or other telemetry information. In certain embodiments,batteries can be swapped between different types of drivers based whatis known about their driving habits, history, routes, and other factorsspecific to them. For example, if one driver puts a heavy load on thebatteries on their route or the way they drive, whereas another is aneasy highway driver—whoever owns the batteries and is leasing them tothese drivers can choose who gets which batteries based on how they canget them to last the longest, or stressed the least, and so on.

In certain embodiments, a vehicle driver can be given real-time tips intheir car on how their driving affects the battery condition. Driverscan take steps themselves with their driving and charging habits toimprove their cost/performance ratio. For instance, the driver couldcharge up sooner and save money by not running the batteries downcompletely, or below a certain level. They could then be rewarded with alower cost at the conditioning center. Besides the selective shiftinginto and out of the operational and resting zones described above,measures to reduce battery stress and wear can include mechanical means.One example is a flywheel for storing energy. With reference to FIG. 18,a first battery bank (A1) with one type of battery or battery rating orbattery state (from resting for example) or other energy storagecharacteristic can be shifted into an operational zone for powering upflywheel 11 from standstill; while a different battery bank (Bank A2) ofanother type of battery or battery rating or battery state or otherenergy storage characteristic can be shifted into an operational zone tomaintain the spin of an already spinning flywheel, whose energy demandsare lower. The flywheel can be useful for rapidly accelerating thevehicle when desired, sparing the batteries from having to perform thistaxing task. Thus, the energy storage device (the flywheel, orsimilarly, supercapacitors or the like) is charged for use in situationsthat require a high current discharge such as in rapid or emergencyacceleration. In this manner batteries are able to maintain a dischargerate of <0.5 C while still providing the added sudden power whennecessary. Maintaining a discharge rate of <0.5 C significantlyincreases the lifespan of the batteries. In the example of FIG. 18, theelectric motor 13 of the vehicle is driven by the batteries of Bank Bfor cruising, where the current of <0.5 C can be maintained. For theinitial acceleration from a stopped position, however, the batteries canpower a small ancillary motor 15 that spins up the flywheel 11 slowly todraw as little current as possible. When acceleration is needed from astopped position, the initial push and torque to the main drive(driveshaft) is taken from the flywheel and not the electric motor. Theflywheel can use its momentum/inertia to get the car going from astopped position. When braking, the flywheel can be spun up by thebraking system 17 and maintain this momentum in the flywheel until forexample a traffic light changes and the car is ready to move again froma stop.

In addition, it is possible to have other actions cause the system tospin up the flywheel 11 as well. For instance, engaging the turn signalcan tell the system to spin up the flywheel in preparation for lanechanging requiring acceleration. This would be utilized for lane changesand entrance to the highways from on ramps and merges. The driver couldalso learn additional actions like a light tap on the accelerator inadvance to trigger the flywheel to spin up.

The arrangement of batteries of a battery pack can take many differentforms. For instance, returning to FIG. 10, the bin 50 can itself beprovided with contacts for establishing connections with the batteries10 of the battery belt 16, and in this manner serve as a portable powerpack, as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B. Strip electrodes 51A and 51B areone example of such contacts that connect the positive nodes of a row ofbatteries together for a parallel electrical connection of that row. Itshould be noted that in such an arrangement the conduit can be dispensedwith. Spacers 53 (FIG. 19C) can optionally be provided to hold thebatteries in place, and to allow for air cooling or to accommodatecooling means therein (not shown)

Another battery arrangement is show in FIG. 20, wherein the batteriesare coiled between two opposing plates 55 (only one is shown in the planview). The plates are shown to be round to substantially conform to thecoil shape of the battery belt, but any other shape of the foldedbattery belt and plates is contemplated. The plates 55 may be dividedinto sectors 57, some of which have a suitable electrode pattern 59 tomake a desired connection among a subset of the batteries, which may bereferred to as a pack, to for example establish an electrical connectionin the form of one or more operational zones and rest areas as describedabove. Two example rest areas are denoted 49 in the drawing. Such anarrangement dispenses with the need for a conduit, using the plates 55and electrode patterns 59 to support the battery belt 16 and provide theelectrical connections between batteries. It should be noted thatportions of the patterns 59 can extend radially in the plate 55,connecting together batteries that may not be in sequential order in thebattery belt 16.

In another arrangement depicted in FIG. 21, the coiled battery belt 16can be wound around a central shaft 61. Two such shafts are depicted,one or both of which may be coupled to a rotating means (e.g. motor,hand crank) (not shown) to provide motive power for winding. Thebatteries in one or both coils may be disposed between plates 55 (FIG.20) for electrical connections in the manner described above. The region63 between the coils can operate as a resting zone.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram illustrating the process generally formatching batteries to a task to be performed. In accordance with certainembodiments, this process is performed by controller 60, singularly orin conjunction with other modules (now shown). At 19, the task to beperformed is determined. The task may entail charging, discharging ortesting a bank of batteries (it is to be understood that “bank” meansone or more energy storage devices, which can be any conventionalbatteries, or supercapacitors, or the like). Tasks can be any of thosedescribed above, including, but not limited to testing, slow charging,rapid charging, discharging for powering main motor for cruising,discharging for powering main motor for rapid acceleration, dischargingfor powering flywheel, discharging for powering ancillary motor forpowering flywheel, and so on.

At 21, one or more operational zones are identified that are suitablefor effecting the electrical connections suitable for performing thetask determined at 19. For instance, if the task is to perform a batteryrapid charge, then the operational zone that is electrically connectedto a rapid charger is identified. If the task is to power the ancillarymotor, then the operational zone that is electrically connected to theancillary motor is identified, and so on.

At 23, the suitable battery bank for the task is identified. Forexample, if the task is to power the main motor for acceleration, thenbatteries in the battery belt(s) that are best suited for such a powersurge, and that are sufficiently charged and cooled and in the propercondition to avoid any deleterious effects, are identified.

At 25, the identified suitable battery bank is shifted into position inthe suitable operational zone. This is performed by instructions fromcontroller 60 to actuator 58 to shift the battery belt 16 theappropriate number of steps to place the identified suitable batterybank in the operational zone.

At 27, a determination is made if the shifting is complete. If yes, theprocess ends; if no, a return to 25 is effected and the shiftingcontinues.

FIGS. 23A-23C are schematic diagrams illustrating an approach forproviding cells with different charge/cool/discharge/cool (notnecessarily in that order) cycles. This can be implemented using thearrangements described above, wherein the cells 10 of belt 16 areshifted by controller 60 into different operational zones toasynchronously effect their charging, discharging, and cooling. In oneexample embodiment, controller 60 selects, for each charge or dischargecycle of a battery having a pair of cells, only one of the cells forcharge or discharge at a time. In certain embodiments, a method foroperating a battery having first and second cells, includes operatingthe first and second cells on different charge/discharge cycles that arestaggered in time, with each cycle including a cooling period followingeach charge phase and a cooling period following each discharge phase.

In FIG. 23A, a battery 31 has existing cell group A (three cells), towhich a cell group (one cell) is added. The additional cell group B canbe charged, cooled, and discharged on a different cycle than the cellsof the existing cell group A. The addition of cell group B allows for arapid redesign of existing configurations, such as cell group A, torelieve the load on the current system to prevent thermal loss anddamage.

In FIG. 23B, showing a different embodiment, battery 31 is broken intosubgroups A1 and A2. In group A1, two of the existing cells are placedon one charge/cool/discharge cycle; and in group A2, the third existingcell is changed to a different cycle, for example to prevent thermalloss and damage.

In FIG. 23C, each of the three cells of battery 31, respectivelydesignated A1′, A2′, and A3′, is placed on its own charge/cool/dischargecycle, different from that of the others, to for example prevent thermalloss and damage.

The principle behind the arrangements of FIGS. 23A-23C is to usedifferent charging cycles for some cells of the battery so that allcells will not be charging and discharging at the same time, thusreducing the thermal cycle in the battery. Each embodiment can beexpanded to a large number of cells that charge/cool/discharge ondifferent cycles to allow for more efficient use and to prevent thermalloss and damage.

A general illustration of the concept of cycling cells of a batterythrough separate charge/cooling/discharge/cooling cycles is illustratedin FIG. 24. Expanding on this, each cell is made up of cells, which aremade up of cells, all the way to the unit cell level. The cells can bearranged in large arrays of many dimensions.

Each cell level is charged separately, possibly down to the unit cell ifneeded. This is not required as the added circuitry may be costprohibitive and charging controlled at a higher cell level will beadequate. The level of the depth of control can be determined duringdevelopment.

FIG. 25 depicts an explanation of charging level. The cells chargeindividually so that a ¾ charge on a cell is when ¾ of the internalcells that make up that overall cell are each individually fullycharged, as seen in the left side of the drawing. This is not to beconfused with charging each of the internal cells to ¾, as seen in theright side of the drawing.

FIGS. 26 and 27 show possible layouts for the unit cells. FIG. 26 showsa Manhattan layout with Vdd (Power) and Ground that is used in computerchip design. FIG. 27 shows a denser layout with separate Vdd and Groundfor charge and discharge to allow for separate channels for current torun as well as the ability to run a pass through where the cell can bothbe charged and discharged at the same time.

As detailed above, in certain embodiments, a method of charging anddischarging cells that allows for a cooling cycle after discharge andprior to charging and after charging prior to discharging (use) isprovided, and illustrated in FIG. 28.Cooling->Charge->Cooling->Discharge->Cooling->Charge, etc. Withincreased user demand, this design ensures that not all cells within thebattery are charging or discharging at the same time, so they will be indifferent states, lowering the overall temperature of the battery andreducing the likelihood of catastrophic breakdown resulting in fire orexplosion.

While embodiments and applications have been shown and described, itwould be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of thisdisclosure that many more modifications than mentioned above arepossible without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein.The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted based on the foregoingdescription.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a belt for mechanicallylinking multiple energy storage cells together, wherein the multipleenergy storage cells are grouped into at least first and second energystorage packs, each energy storage pack including at least one energystorage cell, the at least one energy storage cell of the first energystorage pack having a different energy storage characteristic from theat least one energy storage cell of the second energy storage pack; anoperational zone for receiving an energy storage pack and establishingan electrical connection between the received energy storage pack and anelectrical device; and an actuator operable to move the multiple energystorage cells together to thereby dispose the first energy storage packin the operational zone to establish the electrical connection with theelectrical device.